Beer: Reviews & Ratings

A good beer. Somewhat mellow, but still a good beer nonetheless. Here goes:

A: OK. Pitch black, but only pours a small head with moderate lacing. Just alright.

S: Very faint traces of burnt barley. Dark chocolate, coffee, and toffee. However, the smells are just a little too faint for my liking. Very mellow beer.

T: Much more robust than the smell and quite good. Mellow (I.e., not overly bitter) coffee, dark chocolate, and a hint of caramel at the back of the palate. I prefer the stouts that don't have a dark fruit, i.e., plum and raisin, taste, so I liked this beer a lot. Leaves a nice coffee taste at the back of the palate.

F: Good. Not quite as thick as I would imagine a 10% ABV beer to be, but still sufficient.

Looked great; It was almost pitch black with a light-tan head and lacing. The smell was incredible. Strong smell of coffee, roasted malt, and (what I believe to be) cocoa. The taste was incredible. Coffee, roasted malt, and cocoa were present in the taste as well. There was some bitterness, but it was also very sweet. The really smooth, creamy mouth feel really brought it all together. I'd recommend this to anyone that likes imperial stouts. It's one of my favorites so far. (524 characters)

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of coffee, roasted malts. Taste is rich coffee, hints of chocolate, a touch of alcohol, some bitterness. Feels full bodied in the mouth and overall is a good quality beer. (255 characters)

Appearance: Pours a beautiful, completely opaque, pitch-black color with a quarter of a finger of chocolate-colored head that quickly dissolved away into a thin lacing of foam that partially covered the top of the beer.

Aroma: Very aromatic! Tons of rich, earthy, roasted malt up front, imparting aromas of freshly toasted dark bread and freshly roasted coffee beans. There’s a hint of smoke, as well as lots of caramel and brown sugar and dark chocolate. Inviting and delicious!

Taste: Wow! Strong flavors of roasted malt up front, imparting notes of coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, a touch of smoke, licorice and star anise. There’s quite a bit of caramel-like sweetness to balance out that smoke and licorice, and finally, the beer finishes with just a hint of slightly bitter hops. Delicious!

Mouthfeel: Chewy and extremely smooth, as there is no carbonation what-so-ever. With an ABV of 10%, there is a pleasant alcohol warmth on the palate.

Overall: This is another excellent imperial stout and another excellent beer from Evil Twin. Highly recommended (1,116 characters)

M: Moderate carb against a big, creamy malt body. Feels good, makes some of the more intense flavors on the palate more drinkable.

O: I don't go crazy over double stouts & this brew is no exception. No attempt to curb the booziness. I like some of the flavors here & the impressive use of hops to bitter this bad boy up, so definitely worth drinking, just not my thing. (861 characters)

From a 3 month old 12 oz. bottle. A: the 2” quickly dissipating head is deep tan, the body is pitch black. S: roast, coffee T: exceptionally creamy, a range of malt flavors from caramelly vanilla to roast coffee. The roast especially comes forward in the aftertaste. There is some dried fruit but the main thing here is the malt action. F: the body is medium full, the carbonation is very fine and soft suggestive of Guinness style nitro carbonation. O: The creamy texture of this beer is outstanding. (508 characters)

As a huge stout drinker, especially those of high alcohol content, this caught me off guard. It is intended to be one part of a Black and Tan, so to judge it on its own might be harsh but it is a great beer on its own.

As a standalone stout, it is strong and smokey. On the first pour I found a nice two finger head and a very dark caramel color. It pours smooth and light, and clearly isn't as dark in color as the smokey chocolate nose implies.

The mouth feel is also lighter than expected. Slightly more bitter, hoppy and smokey than expected. Less malt and more of the extravagant flavors. From the other reviews that stated a lot of chocolate, malt and sweet.... I am going to guess that my foray into Yin might be an odd batch, not in a bad way but maybe more specific in traits. Twice purchased in New Haven CT in March 2015 (probably the same brew) and tagged brewed in Stratford CT.. To be honest it was a little harsher and more unbalanced than I would have expected from Evil Twin. Not in any way a bad beer, but just one of the less impressive from their roster.

However, in the mix it starts to shine. As a Heavy to a light, I have mixed each of the 12 I had with different potential black and tan partners. This is where this beer truly shines. It might be the overbearing smokey/bitter flavor of the beers I had, but they really blend well with almost every classic black/tan combination. I have even been mixing it with random things I wouldn't normally ever drink like Long Trail Ale, and finding the results to be more than pleasing.

On its own, not the best offering I have had from Evil Twin. Not bad, but if you want a smokey stout go for Ashtray Heart. Its heavy on the gravity without showing it too much, but it hides its flaws best when mixed with something more forgiving. (1,805 characters)

Low level stout compared to their other offerings, but still somewhat solid. The hoppy finish doesn't really belong when the rest of the beer is meh, almost nothing going on except for some light smokiness and a hint of a hint of dried fruit. (242 characters)

Smell: Pleasant, and can smell roasted coffee and malts. There is some hops aroma, but it is dominated by the coffee.

Taste: Excellent taste. There is both a strong hop and malt flavor, but it is not too bitter, nor too sweet. I like the hint of coffee in the flavor as well. The balance between the flavors is great.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied.

This is the first time I have drank this, but feel it is one of the best imperial stouts I've tasted. You will enjoy it if you like a bold stout. It is complex, and every time I drink it, I get something new. Definitely a beer to drink again. (689 characters)

A combustible black and tan head stands bubbly and firm. Smells of mincemeat, plum, black grape, cherry and sugar and portends a very rich beer. Tastes of dark and sweet chocolate with a welcomed hop undercurrent and mellow, dark fruits. Alcohol heat is deceivingly low.

Pours pitch black color with a 2 finger tan foamy/creamy head that faded slowly and left excellent foamy lacing coating the sides and rings as it went down. A nice tan layer settled on top and stuck around most of the time.

Smells of dark chocolate, licorice, fresh ground coffee beans, molasses, cocoa powder, roasted grains, charcoal, Hershey’s Chocolate syrup, and a mild fruity sweetness. The chocolate and roast aromas are so dominant but yet work and complement each other with a lot more complexities then the initial whiff lets on; taking in the stout lets subtle notes of booze come through, a hint of citrus and then rich espresso. Signature Evil Twin imperial stout nose that is wonderful to inhale.

Tastes of dark chocolate bar, bitter bakers chocolate, fresh ground coffee beans, molasses, toffee, cocoa powder, roasted grains, charcoal or burnt wood, espresso, ashy notes, Hershey’s Chocolate syrup, mild booze, light smoke, grapefruit/citrus hops, fruity sweetness and an intense bitterness that is half burnt coffee and half piney hops. The light booze that comes through tastes like bourbon barrel aging, not offensive heat like a shot of 151 rum, and the roast notes are a bit sweet towards the end like the black part of campfire burnt marshmallow. A very nice mix of smoky, bitter, sweet and earthy, with the coffee and chocolate malts the center of attention. I really enjoy the Evil Twin flair and find their stouts to be some of the best on the planet.

Mouthfeel is smooth and watery, a tad bit on the thin side, with very mild carbonation, a medium chewy body and a nice bitter finish with lots of chocolate, roast and coffee sweetness that trails off semi-dry.

Another impressive stout from Evil Twin. This may not be the boldest from this brewery, but it was still very, very enjoyable and well above average. (1,847 characters)

Poured from a brown 12oz bottle, bottled on 3/13/13, into a snifter. Initial temp. about 45F.

A - Poured very dark ruby-brown and looks black in the glass. The smallish head soon reduced to a partial coat and thick ring.that left spotty lacing behind. This is a decent looking stout.

S- Burnt toast; dark roasted grains and an odd floral element that (after tasting) seems to be from hops and alcohol. Off-putting at first, I mostly adjusted after a few sips. Still, the strange aroma led me to search (in vain) the label for hints of odd ingredients. High ABV is not hidden here.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma at first, particularly in being ignificantly sweet, but this fades quickly, eventually ending n a mildly bitter aftertaste. Only a little bit of burnt grain and char but plenty of dark roasted grain flavor. There's a modicum of boozy alcohol but the ABV is partly hidden, and a positive facotr, in tasting.

Feel: full and somewhat smooth with near medium carbonation noticeable alcohol.

Appearance: Super black with a huge, tan head that fades with spotty lacing.

Aroma: Lots of roasted malt and dark cocoa.

Taste: Big, bitter, roasted malt up front, mildly chalky and a bit astringent. The malt becomes a bit more chocolatey as it goes with some earthy bitterness. Quite creamy and mouth coating. Lingering roasted flavors into the finish , but not quite as heavy with pronounced warming.

The Rest: Quite enjoyable and drinkable for such a big beer. (470 characters)

Dark brown in color. Decent roast in the nose. This offering has the roastiness and body of a standard stout but the alcohol of a double stout. The alcohol does not hide either; frankly, it gets a touch acrid on the finish. (225 characters)

I picked up a bottle of Evil Twin's Yin a month and a half ago for $3.59 at Holiday Market. I'm in the mood for a Stout tonight and this one sounds a little interesting, so lets see how it goes. Bottled on 3/18/14. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a snifter.

A- The label looks nice, it's got a simple design to it and I don't think it's too eye catching. It poured a black color that didn't let any light come through and it had just a little over a fingers worth of brown head that died died down to a thin ring that eventually faded away and it left a little bit of spotty lacing behind. This is a good looking stout, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a lower amount of high sweetness that has a burnt sugar like aroma and it starts off with the malts which impart a nice dark roasted malt aroma with a nice cocoa aroma seeming to stick out the most. Up next comes an unusual aroma that starts off with a soy sauce like aroma that goes right into a some tobacco and slight leather. Towards the end I get some earthy hops aromas. This beer had a nice aroma, but the soy sauce was unwanted and I don't think the leather and tobacco worked that great with it.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma and it starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness that still has a little bit of burnt sugar aspect to it with the roasted malts still showing up first and this time they impart more of a charred malt aspect. Up next comes some of those leather and tobacco aspects that I got in the aroma, but they are lighter with no soy sauce this time. On the finish comes the hops which impart the same earthy hop aspects with a medium amount of bitterness along with some boozy and slightly warming alcohol that lingers into the aftertaste along with a charred malt, smokey and earthy hop aftertaste. This was a nice tasting stout, but it was a little too heavy on the charred malts for me.

M- A little smooth, pretty crisp, a little boozy, a little watery, on the thicker side of being medium bodied with a slightly higher amount of medium carbonation. This beer had an ok mouthfeel, but I felt like it was too thin and boozy with a little too much carbonation.

Overall I thought this was a decent beer and I thought it was a pretty average example of the style, it just wasn't as balanced and as complex as I wanted it to be and in the end it just seemed to be rough around edges. This beer didn't have the best drinkability, it was a little smooth, pretty crisp, a little boozy, a little watery, not filling and the taste just did an ok job at holding my attention, one is more than enough for me, I have no urge to drink another one back to back. What I like the most about this beer was the appearance, it was a good looking Stout. What I liked the least about this beer was the mouthfeel, it wasn't that great and it really held this beer back. I wouldn't buy this beer again and I can't say I would recommend it, it's not hard to find a better Imperial Stout. All in all I wasn't impressed with this beer, it wasn't bad, but it left me wanting more and while it was a little unique I can't say that the flavors worked that well together. This isn't my favorite evil twin beer and it's in the middle at best for the style. I appreciate the effort, but this one just wasn't for me, better luck next time guys. (3,366 characters)

Pours a very dark brown color with a big brown thick chocolatey head. Decent retention and excellent lacing. Aroma is pretty heavily roasted coffee and chocolate. A bit of smokiness. Sweet molasses. Taste is surprisingly....subtle. Some noticeable bitterness up front. The roasted malts aren't as present as in your typical stout. The flavor leans more toward coffee than chocolate. Pretty heavily roasted. Licorice comes through a bit as it warms. Mouthfeel is medium-heavy. A tiny bit of alcohol bite. The more subtle taste results in a Stout that is shockingly easy to down. Although the taste is pleasant, its subdued nature is a bit off-putting for a stout, and definitely unexpected for a 10%er. If you're looking for a Stout that has a high percentage, decent taste, and easy to drink, look no further than this. Nevertheless, I'm still a little bit disappointed with my first Evil Twin brew. (899 characters)

Appearance: A nice bubble show and then the beer settles in to present a three finger mocha-colored head perched atop the engine oil colored liquid; strands of lacing linger

Smell: Roasty tones, black bread, chocolate, mint and pine

Taste: The roast, black bread and chocolate lay down the backbone but there is a surprising bitterness from the hops that arrives in the mid-palate; fudge flavors mingle with the piney bitter tones, after the swallow, and there is a touch of mint in the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation

Overall: A very nice example of the style and a great finish to the Evil Twin trifecta I sampled this evening (662 characters)

Look: Pours thickly into a pint glass, with a very small head the dissipates quickly. Moderate lacing down the side.

Smell: Roast-y and chocolatey, very little hop presence. A little alcohol, but not too much.

Taste: Bitter chocolate, lots of roasted malts, and a little smoky. Finishes very slightly boozy; not as much as I would have thought. As it warms a bit that alcohol flavor does start to get more pronounced. Not sweet really, but some subtle spices sneak up on you as well.

Feel: Medium bodied; a little slick but very drinkable for 10%. Bitterness lingers in a good way.

Overall: This is really good. As suggested on the bottle, I'll have to get the Yang to try the Black and Tan. (696 characters)

Smell predominately of DARK roasted coffee with a bit of sweetness and alcohol.

Taste like a coffee stout.. does not get really into the deep fruit flavors that have a lot of depth. This one is more of a sharp coffee/burnt flavor with a finish that is too bitter to complement the beer.

Overall just an alright kinda bitter stout with a lot of coffee/burnt flavor (423 characters)

Found this at the local liquor store, and I've heard awesome things about Evil Twin so I had to give it a try.Pours a very dark black color with a delightful mocha/tannish head. Smell is sweet with a little bit of hops, black liquorice, coffee, and dark chocolate. Taste is sweet ending with a hoppy, bitter aftertaste. Chocolate, coffee, Coca-Cola, and dried figs.Definitely a delicious stout, just a little overpriced ($3.99) in my opinion. (447 characters)

Poured a bottle heavily in a tulip glass. Result was a dark black body with a 2 inch tan head. Aroma is sweet roasted coffee. The taste kind of reminds me of campfire. Maybe roasting marshmallows. Sweet tasting with some coffee flavors, but mostly a smokiness. (283 characters)